Covering All Angles: Studio Miking Percussion

By Karen Stackpole

Originally published in the April 2008 issue of DRUM! Magazine

The world of percussion encompasses a staggering assortment of toys
that can be struck, rubbed, scraped, or shaken using bare hands,
mallets, sticks, bows, whisks, toothbrushes, chainsaws, or whatever else
you can imagine. That’s why capturing the tonal character and
subtle nuances of different percussive instruments for a recording is an
adventure, one that should not be undertaken lightly. It begins with
microphone selection and proper placement to achieve the desired sound.
There’s really no one set way to go about it, but some basic
guidelines offer a springboard from whence to commence your fantastic
voyage into recording percussion.

When making decisions on
mikes and placement techniques, the timbre and pitch of the instrument
and the way it projects sound should be the initial factors you
consider. Player dynamics are another biggie. The microphone(s) you
choose should be able to handle high SPLs if the instrument is
particularly loud. Consider the sound of the room — does it
enhance the overall sound? Or should it be minimized? The overall
requirements of the musical style should influence approach as well.
Does the music call for a spacious ensemble sound or is a tighter,
more produced sound in order?

Close miking individual sources
results in a more focused, intimate sound, while area miking can be
used to capture a group of instruments. The latter is a good way to go
if inputs are limited or a more natural blend is desired. Room miking is
a great way to capture an ensemble, or a particular instrument for a
more expansive, open sound with reflections from the space (provided
the room sounds good to begin with). If you have the inputs, a
combination of close and distant mikes will give you mixing options
later on. As always, when incorporating a dual-mike technique to
capture a broader spectrum of tones from a drum, you may have to flip
the phase on the bottom mike to avoid phase cancellation issues.

Meet The Mikes

In the controlled environment of a recording
studio or a facsimile thereof, your choice of microphones expands. Live
sound situations typically require unidirectional dynamic mikes and
tight-pattern small-diaphragm condensers in order to control feedback
and bleed. Stalwarts in this arena include models like the Shure SM57
and Audix I-5 small-diaphragm dynamic mikes, the Heil PR series, the
Sennheiser MD421 and ElectroVoice RE20 large- diaphragm dynamics, and
small-capsule condensers such as Neumann’s KM184, Shure’s
SM81, AKG’s C 451, Rode’s NT5, Oktava’s MC012, and
Audio-Technica’s 3031. Studio recording opens up the palette to
include the exciting possibilities offered by multiple pickup-pattern
small- and large-diaphragm condensers, tube condensers, and ribbon
microphones.

A mike with an omnidirectional pickup pattern picks
up the sound source and the reflections from the room without off-axis
coloration, and it is free from the proximity effect (a low-end
boost) that results when close miking with a unidirectional mike. Some
examples of small-diaphragm omnidirectional condensers include
Neumann’s KM183, Oktava’s MC012 with the omni capsule, and
Earthworks’ TC20. Multiple pickup pattern options allow for
creative stereo miking techniques for capturing the room, a group of
instruments, or an ensemble, such as Blumlein (two coincident
bi-directional microphones to capture a direct stereo image and
reflections), spaced pair, or mid-side (a cardioid mike paired with a
bidirectional “side” microphone to capture a focused center
image and an adjustable spacious room sound). AKG’s C 414,
Rode’s NT2, and Audio-Technica’s AT4050 are examples of
multi-pattern large-diaphragm condensers.

Condenser microphones
tend to pick up lots of crisp detail and are very sensitive, therefore
picking up more sound from the room than a unidirectional dynamic mike
normally would. Tube condensers, such as Audio-Technica’s AT4060
and Mojave Audio’s MA200, are often associated with a
“warmer” sound.

While there are exceptions, ribbon
microphones are typic-ally bi-directional (figure eight pickup pattern)
and will pick up the sound source and the reflections from the room
behind it while rejecting sound from the sides. This type of mike often
has a smoother, more natural sound than condensers, which tend to have a
fairly bright top end, so if you’re trying to mellow out the sound
of a bright or harsh instrument, a ribbon may be a good choice. Royer
and Coles are notable ribbon mike manufacturers, and models are also
available from Beyerdynamic, Cascade, Samson, and Nady, just to name a
few. Keep in mind that the ribbon can be easily damaged by a burst of
air or by SPLs that are too high, so be careful.

Breaking It Down

Generally speaking, percussion instruments can
be broken down into several characteristic designs, and within those
general categories are myriad forms, each embodying its own subtle
character. Single-headed drums range from frame drums, like the bodhran
or the pandeiro, to elongated or goblet-shaped versions, such as the
conga or the djembe, to pot/kettle type models without ports, like the
tabla or the timpani. Double-headed drums vary widely, too, including
such shapes as bata, talking drums, and surdo. Then there is the
overwhelming realm of idiophones, which ranges from claves, shakers,
bells, marimba, berimbau, cajon, and everything in between. It’s
best to try to capture the most natural representation of a particular
instrument possible for the given situation, and save all the tweaking
and processing for later on in the mix. You’ll need to do your own
experimenting to get the sound you want, but following is a basic
springboard from whence to once again commence this front-end journey to
a great percussion recording.